USC hires Clay Helton as permanent head football coach

USC has played well under interim coach Clay Helton, prompting Athletic Director Pat Haden to remove the interim tag and appoint Helton as the team’s full-time coach. He had been an assistant at USC since 2010, working as the offensive coordinator under Lane Kiffin and former Washington Huskies coach Sarkisian. Sarkisian acknowledged he was struggling with alcohol after he went on an obscenity-laced rant at a booster function before the season and the coach and team continued to struggle for the first five games. The 24th-ranked Trojans (8-4, 5-3 Pac-12) beat archrival UCLA 40-21 to win the Pac-12 South title on Saturday, capping a seven-week surge under Helton, their then-interim head coach, with their first victory in the crosstown showdown since 2011.

Now they have to gear up to face Stanford in the Pac-12 Championship Game on Saturday.

“During my six years here, I have learned the standard of excellence that it takes to be a Trojan”, Helton said in a statement. But it was so long ago that the Trojans have since fired their head coach and already hired his permanent successor.

“Through the hard work and resiliency of this year’s team, we have put ourselves in position to play for a Pac-12 Championship”.

Helton’s steady guidance is all over USC’s midseason resurgence, but the Trojans realize the career assistant wasn’t a glamorous choice for one of college football’s most prominent jobs. Their consistency throughout the season and coach David Shaw’s track record gives them the edge, but USC’s most recent performance against UCLA shows it has the ability to match Stanford’s style. I became convinced not only after watching his team play, but also after spending part of a morning with him in his office, listening to him speak with great humility and passion about his players, checking out the giant books on his coffee tables that contained photos of those players and their parents. “I am so proud to have the chance to lead what I feel is the pinnacle of college football and to represent our Trojan Family”, he said.

Praise USC for finally making a smart move this time, even if some aren’t happy with it.

According to Yahoo Sports, Chip Kelly, Philadelphia Eagles coach, reportedly met USC about the opening. You just try to find in all these phases something that can be successful again, but also realizing they may change things that worked last time. He finished second in the Pac-12 in rushing this season with an average of 136.7 yards per game, only behind Oregon’s Royce Freeman.

“I hugged my wife and took a deep breath”, he said. They’re playing physical. Their stable of running backs have been real good. Yes, they could have eight wins, but that only makes the six they have more painful. At receiver they are led by JuJu Smith-Schuster with over 1,300 yards and 10 scores.

COMEBACK GOFF: California quarterback Jared Goff is no stranger to topping 500 yards passing in a game, having done so twice entering this season.

McCaffrey needs 216 more all-purpose to break the NCAA record held by Oklahoma State’s Barry Sanders, who set his mark in 11 games.

Closely following McCaffrey’s record chase is a teammate, Barry Sanders Jr., a senior who has contributed 312 yards rushing this season.

The Cardinal overcame that early loss to get back in the national playoff chase, only to suffer another setback to Oregon. McCaffrey has rushed for 1,640 yards.

FRESH LONGHORN: Texas running back Chris Warren III had only 18 carries for 88 yards on the season before being pressed into action because of injuries in a 48-45 loss to Texas Tech.